Marquette's Reputation in Milwaukee/Wisconsin Forum

[Iceman389]

From what I've gathered on TLS about advice for picking a law school, a smart decision for those looking at schools in the lower T1 and T2 is to minimize debt as much as possible a choose a school in a region where it is not competing against a large group of other schools and you want to practice. Due to very fortunate circumstances, debt is not a major concern for me in my final law school decision, however the region where the school is located is obviously a major factor. From the list of schools I am choosing from, Marquette seems to fit the bill of a regional school with a good reputation in a market without a lot of competition from other schools. I have multiple family members from the area and have been to Milwaukee at least once a year for the past 10+ years and love the city. Obviously UW-Madison would be a better choice for working in Wisconsin but I was unfortunately rejected. With debt being only a minor issue (in addition to receiving some $ from the school) and knowing that I would be perfectly happy practicing in Milwaukee/Wisconsin, would going to Marquette be a smart decision? Also, if any Marquette students or people with knowledge of the Wisconsin "legal market" could answer the question of how Marquette grads are doing with job placement in Milwaukee and Wisconsin in general I would greatly appreciate it.

FWIW my other main options I am considering are Buffalo and Miami and I would go to those under the impression I would be staying in Upstate NY and S. Florida respectively.

[SupraVln180]

From what I've gathered on TLS about advice for picking a law school, a smart decision for those looking at schools in the lower T1 and T2 is to minimize debt as much as possible a choose a school in a region where it is not competing against a large group of other schools and you want to practice. Due to very fortunate circumstances, debt is not a major concern for me in my final law school decision, however the region where the school is located is obviously a major factor. From the list of schools I am choosing from, Marquette seems to fit the bill of a regional school with a good reputation in a market without a lot of competition from other schools. I have multiple family members from the area and have been to Milwaukee at least once a year for the past 10+ years and love the city. Obviously UW-Madison would be a better choice for working in Wisconsin but I was unfortunately rejected. With debt being only a minor issue (in addition to receiving some $ from the school) and knowing that I would be perfectly happy practicing in Milwaukee/Wisconsin, would going to Marquette be a smart decision? Also, if any Marquette students or people with knowledge of the Wisconsin "legal market" could answer the question of how Marquette grads are doing with job placement in Milwaukee and Wisconsin in general I would greatly appreciate it.

FWIW my other main options I am considering are Buffalo and Miami and I would go to those under the impression I would be staying in Upstate NY and S. Florida respectively.

If you are cool with staying in the Milwaukee area forever, than Marquette is a good option. But you have to realize once you commit to a smaller market like Milwaukee, there are no exit options. It is not like working in NY or DC where you can move from big city to big city if you want. You will be stuck in the area forever. If you are cool with that though, you can have a solid career out there graduating from Marquette. Just do well.

[qhryder32]

I agree that Marquette's reputation is strong in Milwaukee. But what I've been told by a couple of different people, one being a lawyer who has been around the block a few times, said that after several years of work it is more about what you have accomplished at your firm as opposed to your alma mater as far as being able to go from job to job (and therefore market to market). With this being said, I would think that after several years of work you should be able to leave the Milwaukee market and explore other options if you so choose. I'm in a similar situation myself in having to choose between Marquette and Iowa and wanting to work in Milwaukee, and am trying to weigh the options out since I know that Marquette is pretty much stuck in the Milwaukee area (or Wisco as a whole) for several years.

Have you visited the new building? It is gorgeous!

[Iceman389]

I agree that Marquette's reputation is strong in Milwaukee. But what I've been told by a couple of different people, one being a lawyer who has been around the block a few times, said that after several years of work it is more about what you have accomplished at your firm as opposed to your alma mater as far as being able to go from job to job (and therefore market to market). With this being said, I would think that after several years of work you should be able to leave the Milwaukee market and explore other options if you so choose. I'm in a similar situation myself in having to choose between Marquette and Iowa and wanting to work in Milwaukee, and am trying to weigh the options out since I know that Marquette is pretty much stuck in the Milwaukee area (or Wisco as a whole) for several years.

Have you visited the new building? It is gorgeous!

I'll be at ASD on the 2nd so that will be my first look at the building. From what I have heard from family members that have been inside of it, the building is literally out of this world. I am very very excited to take a tour of it and get a look at it myself. I've heard similar advice to yours about being able to move if you perform well at your first firm job. Obviously my biggest concern is actually GETTING the first firm job and if I have a reasonable shot at getting a firm job (doesn't have to be 100K+ or biglaw type due to little debt concern) then Marquette is going to hard to turn down since Milwaukee is one of the markets I desire.

[qhryder32]

I agree that Marquette's reputation is strong in Milwaukee. But what I've been told by a couple of different people, one being a lawyer who has been around the block a few times, said that after several years of work it is more about what you have accomplished at your firm as opposed to your alma mater as far as being able to go from job to job (and therefore market to market). With this being said, I would think that after several years of work you should be able to leave the Milwaukee market and explore other options if you so choose. I'm in a similar situation myself in having to choose between Marquette and Iowa and wanting to work in Milwaukee, and am trying to weigh the options out since I know that Marquette is pretty much stuck in the Milwaukee area (or Wisco as a whole) for several years.

Have you visited the new building? It is gorgeous!

I'll be at ASD on the 2nd so that will be my first look at the building. From what I have heard from family members that have been inside of it, the building is literally out of this world. I am very very excited to take a tour of it and get a look at it myself. I've heard similar advice to yours about being able to move if you perform well at your first firm job. Obviously my biggest concern is actually GETTING the first firm job and if I have a reasonable shot at getting a firm job (doesn't have to be 100K+ or biglaw type due to little debt concern) then Marquette is going to hard to turn down since Milwaukee is one of the markets I desire.

Your family members are right...the building really couldn't get any better! It would be a very comfortable place to study for 3 years, that's for sure! And I'm in the same boat as you about wanting to secure a job right out of school, which doesn't appear to be all that easy. However, I'm sure if you perform well, there will be options for you! If only we all had a crystal ball and knew what the future holds...

I'll be at ASD on the 2nd as well! Hope to see you there!